a 


HON. WILLIAM   RICHARDSON 


WILLIAM  RICHARDSON 

(Late  a  Representative  from  Alabama) 

MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED  IN  THE 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

SIXTY-THIRD  CONGRESS 
^>   THIRD  SESSION     |  f  '4 -'5 


Proceedings  in  the  House  Proceedings  in  the  Senate 

January  31, 1915  April  1,  1914 


PREPARED  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF 
THE  JOINT  COMMITTEE  ON  PRINTING 


WASHINGTON 
1915 


Bancroft  Library 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Page 

Proceedings  in  the  House 5-48 

Prayer  by  Rev.  Henry  N.  Couden,  D.  D 6,8 

Memorial  addresses  by — 

Mr.  Christopher  G.  Harris,  of  Alabama 1.1 

Mr.  James  R.  Mann,  of  Illinois 17 

Mr.  William  C.  Adamson,  of  Georgia 20 

Mr.  Everis  A.  Hayes,  of  California 23 

Mr.  Richard  W.  Austin,  of  Tennessee 25 

Mr.  John  L.  Burnett,  of  Alabama 29 

Mr.  Thetus  W.  Sims,  of  Tennessee 32 

Mr.  J.  Thomas  Heflin,  of  Alabama 35 

Mr.  S.  Hubert  Dent,  jr.,  of  Alabama 37 

Mr.  Joseph  W.  Byrns,  of  Tennessee 39 

Mr.  John  W.  Abercrombie,  of  Alabama 42 

Mr.  Oscar  W.  Underwood,  of  Alabama 47 

Proceedings  in  the  Senate 49-50 

Tributes  by  the — 

Committee  on  Pensions  of  the  House 51 

Governor  of  Alabama 52 

Board  of  Commissioners  of  Huntsville,  Ala 54 

Huntsville  Bar  Association 54 

Huntsville  (Ala.)  Mercury-Banner 55 

Judge  Edward  B.  Almon,  of  Tuscumbia,  Ala 56 


[3] 


DEATH  OF  HON.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

TUESDAY,  March  31,  19U. 

Mr.  UNDERWOOD.  Mr.  Speaker,  it  is  my  sad  duty  to  an- 
nounce to  the  House  the  death  of  my  colleague,  the  Hon. 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  of  Alabama,  who  died  this  after- 
noon at  3  o'clock  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

At  another  time  I  shall  ask  the  House  to  set  aside  a  day 
upon  which  to  hold  services  in  respect  to  his  memory.  I 
now  offer  a  resolution,  which  I  send  to  the  Clerk's  desk. 

The  SPEAKER.  The  gentleman  from  Alabama  [Mr. 
Underwood]  offers  a  resolution,  which  the  Clerk  will 
report. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  House  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  of 
the  death  of  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  a  Representative  from  the 
State  of  Alabama. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  20  Members  of  the  House,  with 
such  Members  of  the  Senate  as  may  be  joined,  be  appointed  to 
attend  the  funeral. 

Resolved,  That  the  Sergeant  at  Arms  of  the  House  be  authorized 
and  directed  to  take  such  steps  as  may  be  necessary  for  carrying 
out  the  provisions  of  these  resolutions,  and  that  the  necessary 
expense  in  connection  therewith  be  paid  out  of  the  contingent 
fund  of  the  House. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the 
Senate  and  transmit  a  copy  thereof  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

The  SPEAKER.  The  question  is  on  agreeing  to  the  reso- 
lution. 

The  resolution  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

[5] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

The  SPEAKER.  The  Chair  announces  the  following  com- 
mittee on  the  part  of  the  House  to  attend  the  funeral: 
Mr.  Taylor  of  Alabama,  Mr.  Burnett,  Mr.  Dent,  Mr.  Black- 
mon,  Mr.  Abercrombie,  Mr.  Adamson,  Mr.  Johnson  of 
Kentucky,  Mr.  Carr,  Mr.  Key  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Stedman,  Mr. 
Walsh,  Mr.  Dupre,  Mr.  Mann,  Mr.  Stevens  of  Minnesota, 
Mr.  Esch,  Mr.  J.  R.  Knowland,  Mr.  Sells,  Mr.  Greene  of 
Vermont,  Mr.  Kiess  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Mr.  Murdock. 

Mr.  UNDERWOOD.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  offer  a  further  reso- 
lution. 

The  SPEAKER.  The  gentleman  from  Alabama  offers 
another  resolution,  which  the  Clerk  will  report. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  the  House  do  now 
adjourn. 

The  SPEAKER.  The  question  is  on  agreeing  to  the  reso- 
lution. 

The  resolution  was  unanimously  agreed  to  ;  accordingly 
(at  7  o'clock  and  35  minutes  p.  m.)  the  House  adjourned 
until  to-morrow,  Wednesday,  April  1,  1914,  at  12  o'clock 
noon. 


WEDNESDAY,  April  1, 
The  House  met  at  12  o'clock  noon. 

The  Chaplain,  Rev.  Henry  N.  Couden,  D.  D.,  offered  the 
following  prayer: 

O  Thou  infinite,  eternal  source  of  life  and  light  and  love, 
we  bless  Thee  for  the  profound  faith  which  brings  us  to 
Thee  for  consolation  in  sorrow  and  grief,  for  the  hope 
which  penetrates  the  veil  and  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the 
bright  beyond.  Questions  of  great  moment  pertaining 
to  the  now  may  divide  us  in  honest  judgment,  but  the 
death  of  one  of  our  number  unites  us  in  sorrow  and 
sympathy.  A  picturesque,  sturdy,  noble,  patriotic  soul 
has  been  called  from  the  scenes  of  this  life  to  the  realms 

[6] 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

of  eternity.  His  work  is  done,  and  well  done.  He  leaves 
behind  him  a  worthy  record,  which  has  well  fitted  him 
for  a  place  of  usefulness  in  a  sphere  of  activities  beyond. 
We  bless  Thee  for  his  life,  his  work,  his  example.  May 
his  memory  live  in  our  hearts  and  inspire  us  to  faithful 
service.  Comfort  us,  his  many  friends,  and  the  dear 
children  he  leaves  behind  him,  with  the  blessed  hope  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  where  in  a  brighter  realm 
love  will  meet  love,  to  dwell  together  forever;  and  Thine 
be  the  praise,  through  Him  who  taught  us  to  put  our  trust 
in  Thee,  our  God,  and  our  Father.  Amen. 

The  Journal  of  the  proceedings  of  yesterday  was  read. 

MONDAY,  January  4,  1915. 

Mr.  UNDERWOOD.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  ask  unanimous  consent 
for  the  present  consideration  of  the  order  which  I  send 
to  the  Clerk's  desk. 

The  SPEAKER.  The  gentleman  asks  unanimous  consent 
for  the  present  consideration  of  a  resolution,  which  the 
Clerk  will  report. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  Sunday,  January  31,  1915,  be  set  apart  for 
services  upon  the  life,  character,  and  public  services  of  Hon. 
Joseph  F.  Johnston,  late  a  Senator  from  the  State  of  Alabama, 
and  of  the  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  late  a  Representative  from 
the  State  of  Alabama. 

The  SPEAKER.  Is  there  objection? 
There  was  no  objection. 
The  resolution  was  agreed  to. 


[7] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

SUNDAY,  January  31,  1915. 

The  House  met  at  12  o'clock  noon  and  was  called  to 
order  by  Mr.  Underwood,  Speaker  pro  tempore. 

The  Chaplain,  Rev.  Henry  N.  Couden,  D.  D.,  offered  the 
following  prayer: 

Infinite  and  eternal  energy,  our  God  and  our  Father,  out 
of  whose  heart  came  life  and  all  its  possibilities,  the 
wisdom  that  illumines,  the  faith  that  sustains,  the  hope 
that  cheers,  the  love  which  binds  us  together  into  friend- 
ship and  families;  we  are  here  to-day  because  of  these 
indissoluble  ties  in  memory  of  two  souls  who  have  an- 
swered the  summons  and  passed  into  the  great  beyond 
from  whence  no  traveler  returns.  To  recall  their  deeds, 
sing  their  praises  is  to  put  an  estimate  on  their  virtues. 
We  thank  Thee  that  the  good  in  man  lives  to  inspire 
others  to  the  nobler  virtues.  These  men  were  chosen 
servants  of  the  people  because  in  them  was  ability,  in- 
tegrity, honesty,  zeal,  high  ideals,  and  lofty  purposes,  and 
though  they  have  passed  on  they  live  in  the  hearts  of  their 
countrymen.  May  those  who  knew  and  loved  them  best 
look  forward  to  a  reunion  in  one  of  the  Father's  many 
mansions  where  the  ties  of  friendship  and  love  will  never 
again  be  severed.  And  songs  of  praises  we  will  ever  give 
to  Thee  in  the  name  of  Him  who  taught  us  faith,  hope, 
love.  Amen. 

The  SPEAKER  pro  tempore.  The  Clerk  will  read  a  letter 
from  the  Speaker. 
The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

JANUARY  29,  1915. 
Hon.  SOUTH  TRIMBLE, 

Clerk  of  the  House: 

I  hereby  designate  Hon.  Oscar  W.  Underwood,  of  Alabama,  as 
Speaker  pro  tempore  to  preside  on  Sunday,  January  31,  1915. 
Your  friend, 


CHAMP  CLARK. 


[8] 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

The  SPEAKER  pro  tempore.  Without  objection,  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Journal  of  yesterday  will  be  postponed  until 
to-morrow.  [After  a  pause.]  The  Chair  hears  none.  The 
Clerk  will  read  the  special  order. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Underwood,  by  unanimous  consent, 
Ordered,   That   Sunday,   January   31,    1915,   be    set   apart   for 

services  upon  the  lives,  character,  and  public  services  of  Hon. 

Joseph  F.  Johnston,  late  a  Senator  from  the  State  of  Alabama, 

and  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  late  a  Representative  from  the 

State  of  Alabama. 

Mr.  Blackmon  assumed  the  chair  as  Speaker  pro 
tempore. 

Mr.  UNDERWOOD.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  offer  the  resolutions 
which  I  send  to  the  Clerk's  desk. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  House  be  now  suspended 
that  an  opportunity  may  be  given  for  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the 
Hon.  Joseph  F.  Johnston,  late  a  Member  of  the  United  States 
Senate  from  the  State  of  Alabama,  and  to  the  memory  of  the  Hon. 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  late  a  Member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives from  the  State  of  Alabama. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of 
the  deceased  and  in  recognition  of  their  eminent  abilities  as  dis- 
tinguished public  servants,  the  House  at  the  conclusion  of  these 
memorial  proceedings  shall  stand  adjourned. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the 
Senate. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  instructed  to  send  a  copy  of  these 
resolutions  to  the  families  of  the  deceased. 

Mr.  UNDERWOOD.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  move  the  adoption  of 
the  resolutions. 

The  question  was  taken,  and  the  resolutions  were  unani- 
mously agreed  to. 


[9] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HARRIS,  OF  ALABAMA 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  There  are  occasions  when  the  inmost  feel- 
ings of  the  heart  may  find  but  poor  expression  in  mere 
words.  Especially  is  this  true  in  moments  of  exalted  joy 
or  in  the  hour  of  personal  grief,  and  it  is  with  the  latter 
emotion  that  I  rise  to  pay  my  humble  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  one  whom  I  had  the  privilege  of  counting  as 
a  cherished  friend.  We  were  born  in  adjoining  counties 
in  the  State  of  Alabama,  and  our  later  lives  were  spent  in 
cities  but  25  miles  apart.  In  our  youth  the  same  blue 
bending  skies  smiled  upon  us,  our  hearts  thrilled  to  the 
same  emotions,  our  eyes  fed  on  the  same  delightful  scenes, 
and  our  ears  drank  in  the  same  music  of  the  crooning 
minor  strains  that  softly  came  from  the  lips  of  the  simple 
negroes  who  picked  the  snowy  harvest  of  our  cotton  fields 
or  gathered  the  golden  ears  of  the  ripened  corn.  When 
the  dark  clouds  of  war  burst  in  their  fury  over  the  land  we 
loved  we  donned  the  same  uniform  and  fought  for  the 
same  principles,  and  when  at  last  the  cause  we  both  had 
bled  for  was  lost  we  returned  to  our  homes  to  face  the 
same  duties  and  to  solve  the  same  problems.  Both  of  us 
chose  the  law  as  our  profession,  and,  living  in  the  same 
circuit,  practiced  in  the  same  courts  for  many  years.  So 
when  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  died  I  lost  not  only  my  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  but  a 
brother  lawyer,  a  companion  in  arms,  and  a  lifelong 
friend.  It  is  therefore  with  a  heavy  heart  that  I  approach 
this  duty,  a  duty  which  stirs  many  memories  of  the  past 
and  brings  to  recollection  the  personality  of  one  of  the 


[11] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

bravest,  truest,  noblest  sons  that  Alabama  ever  gave  to 
the  world. 

But  few  men  in  this  House,  and  but  few  living  in  this 
day  and  generation,  can  realize  and  understand  the  tre- 
mendous difficulties  and  almost  unsurmountable  obstacles 
which  confronted  a  young  man  of  Judge  RICHARDSON'S 
age  when  the  Civil  War  closed. 

Reared  in  riches  and  luxury  up  until  about  18  years  of 
age,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army,  with  his 
education  only  fairly  commenced,  he  emerged  from  that 
terrible  war  to  return  home  to  find  the  beautiful  sur- 
roundings which  he  left  in  devastation  and  ruin,  with  all 
species  of  property  swept  away  except  the  land,  and  with- 
out hope  of  help  from  any  quarter  to  face  the  uninviting 
future,  and  you  may  be  sure  it  took  a  brave  heart  and 
resolute  mind  for  him  to  overcome  such  difficulties  and 
build  up  such  a  splendid  record  which  he  has  left  to  the 
world. 

WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  was  born  in  Athens,  Ala.  His 
father  and  mother  were  natives  of  Virginia.  His  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Capt.  Nicholas  Davis,  also  a  Vir- 
ginian by  birth,  who  became  a  distinguished  citizen  of 
Limestone  County,  Ala.,  and  who  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  that  met  in  Huntsville  to  draft  the  constitution 
under  which  Alabama  was  admitted  as  a  State  in  1819. 
Capt.  Davis  was  a  boyhood  friend  of  Henry  Clay  and  a 
lifelong  supporter  of  that  great  statesman.  On  his  father's 
side  Judge  RICHARDSON  was  the  descendant  of  a  distin- 
guished family  of  lawyers  and  planters. 

As  a  boy  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Athens,  Ala.,  and  later  in  Wesleyan  University 
of  Florence.  When  only  a  little  over  16  years  of  age  he 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army  as  a  private,  but  was 
soon  promoted  to  a  captaincy  for  conspicuous  gallantry. 
He  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  was 
made  a  prisoner  of  war,  but  upon  his  recovery  escaped, 

[12] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HARRIS,  OF  ALABAMA 


and  after  much  hardship  made  his  way  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.  From  there  he  attempted  to  get  through  the  Union 
lines  to  rejoin  his  command.  His  companion  in  this 
attempt  was  James  Paul,  a  daring  Confederate  spy,  of 
whose  identity  young  RICHARDSON  was  in  complete  igno- 
rance. The  two  were  captured  by  Union  soldiers,  and 
incriminating  papers  being  found  on  the  person  of  Paul, 
both  were  taken  to  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  imprisoned, 
court-martialed,  and  condemned  to  be  shot.  On  the  very 
night  before  the  morning  set  for  their  execution  they  were 
rescued  by  that  wizard  of  the  saddle,  Gen.  Nathan  B. 
Forrest,  who  had  learned  of  their  capture,  and  with  a 
force  of  1,100  men  suddenly  attacked  the  town,  forced 
his  way  to  the  prison,  released  the  captives,  and  escaped 
with  them. 

Capt.  RICHARDSON  was  again  seriously  wounded,  at 
Chickamauga,  where  he  lay  on  the  battle  field  for  six  days 
and  was  kept  alive  during  this  time  by  his  faithful  negro 
servant.  Before  his  full  recovery  Gen.  Lee  had  sur- 
rendered and  young  RICHARDSON  returned  to  his  Alabama 
home.  He  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon 
gained  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  brilliant  advocate  and 
an  eloquent  speaker.  Entering  the  field  of  politics,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  legislature  from  his  native 
county  in  1874.  Soon  thereafter  he  removed  to  Huntsville, 
and  in  1875  became  probate  judge  of  Madison  County, 
which  office  he  held  until  1886.  In  1890  he  became  a 
candidate  for  the  Democratic  nomination  for  governor, 
and  in  the  convention  at  Montgomery,  although  one  of  the 
leading  candidates,  having  carried  every  county  in  the 
State  north  of  Birmingham,  he  withdrew  his  name  in 
order  to  harmonize  the  factional  differences  of  his  party. 

From  1886  until  he  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1900  he 
practiced  his  profession  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
ablest  lawyers  in  the  State.  His  natural  eloquence  and 
analytical  mind  made  him  especially  effective  in  jury 

[13] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

cases,  and  he  was  ranked  by  many  of  his  brother  lawyers 
as  one  among  the  leading  criminal  lawyers  in  Alabama. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1900,  Judge  RICHARDSON  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  short  term  in  Congress  to  succeed  Gen. 
Wheeler,  resigned,  and  from  his  election  in  the  following 
November  to  the  day  of  his  death,  March  31,  1914,  he 
served  the  people  of  the  eighth  congressional  district  of 
Alabama  in  this  House.  That  he  served  his  people  faith- 
fully and  well  is  perhaps  best  attested  by  the  fact  that  for 
almost  14  years  he  had  practically  no  opposition.  Seldom 
is  such  universal  approbation  given  to  a  public  servant, 
and  perhaps  seldom  has  it  been  so  well  deserved.  Of  his 
service  to  the  country  while  a  member  of  this  body  I 
need  not  speak.  Almost  all  of  the  Members  present  served 
with  him  and  know  of  his  ability,  his  loyalty,  his  justice, 
and  his  absolute  freedom  from  prejudice  and  narrowness 
of  mind.  His  services  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Pensions  gained  for  him  the  esteem  and  approbation  of 
his  colleagues,  irrespective  of  party  lines.  Democrats, 
Republicans,  and  Progressives  alike  admired  him  for  his 
courage,  his  ability,  his  integrity,  and  his  patriotism. 
Sectional  prejudice  found  no  room  in  his  great  heart,  and 
the  veterans  who  had  worn  the  blue  always  found  in  him 
a  sympathetic  companion  and  a  staunch  friend. 

Before  he  had  reached  manhood's  meridian  Judge 
RICHARDSON  had  the  great  misfortune  to  lose  his  beloved 
wife,  and  thenceforth  his  private  life  was  devoted  to  the 
tender  care  of  his  five  children — four  daughters  and  a 
son.  His  devotion  to  his  children  was  beautiful  and  only 
equaled  by  theirs  to  him.  Strong  and  fearless  as  a  man, 
as  a  father  he  was  all  tenderness  and  love,  and  perhaps 
the  only  pride  he  ever  exhibited  was  that  called  forth  by 
his  children.  May  the  grief  which  still  wrings  the  hearts 
of  those  children  be  softened  by  the  gentle  hand  of  time 
to  a  blessed  and  hallowed  memory  to  serve  as  a  guide 
and  a  benediction  to  the  end  of  their  days. 

[14] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HARRIS,  OF  ALABAMA 


Judge  RICHARDSON'S  service  to  the  district  which  he  so 
well  represented  in  this  House  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
his  constituents.  At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Tennessee 
River  Improvement  Association,  held  in  the  city  of 
Decatur,  Ala.,  on  the  3d  day  of  December,  the  following 
preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted: 

Whereas  since  the  last  annual  meeting  of  this  association  the  Hon. 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  one  of  its  most  influential  and  active 
members,  has  passed  into  the  beyond:  Therefore  be  it 
Resolved  by  the  delegates  assembled  in  annual  meeting  of  the 
Tennessee  River  Improvement  Association,  That  the  death  of  Judge 
RICHARDSON  is  a  great  loss  to  this  association  and  a  deep  sorrow 
to  each  and  all  of  its  members,  and  that  we  hereby  express  our 
appreciation  of  his  wise  counsel  and  earnest  endeavors  in  behalf 
of  the  purposes  and  object  of  this  association  upon  the  floor  of 
our  conventions,  before  the  Rivers  and  Harbors  Committee  of  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  as  an  influential  Member  of 
Congress  from  the  eighth  district  of  Alabama,  where  his  fund  of 
accurate  and  useful  information  and  his  aptness  in  communicat- 
ing the  same  was  of  untold  value  in  our  battle  for  recognition  by 
Congress  of  the  commercial  value  of  the  Tennessee  River. 

Resolved  further,  That  in  sorrow  we  miss  his  presence  here 
to-day.  He  was  a  chivalrous,  loyal,  broad-minded,  courtly,  and 
lovable  gentleman. 

Resolved  finally,  That  these  resolutions  be  spread  on  the  minutes 
of  this  association,  and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  members  of  his 
family  and  be  published  as  the  secretary  of  this  association  may 
direct. 

Mr.  Speaker,  the  ranks  are  growing  very  thin  now,  the 
ranks  of  men  with  eyes  growing  dim  and  hair  grown  gray, 
who  served  in  that  great  fraternal  struggle  which  tried 
their  souls,  the  ranks  of  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  War.  I 
miss  them  sadly  as  they  fall  out,  one  by  one,  at  the  stern 
command  of  death.  A  feeling  of  loneliness  creeps  over 
those  of  us  who  still  are  left,  and  the  thought  comes  to  me 
that  not  very  many  days  are  left  before  we,  too,  must  hear 
the  soft,  sweet  notes  of  "  taps."  And  yet  I  know  that 

4095°— 15 2  [15] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

the  old  veterans  are  still  unafraid.    They  do  not  believe 
with  the  orator  who  said  that — 

Every  life,  no  matter  if  its  every  hour  is  rich  with  love  and 
every  moment  jeweled  with  a  joy,  will  at  its  close  become  a 
tragedy  as  sad  and  deep  and  dark  as  can  be  woven  of  the  warp 
and  woof  of  mystery  and  death. 

For  them  death  is  no  tragedy  deep  and  dark,  for  I  know 
they  believe  that  for  him  who  suffers  it  is  but  the  opening 
of  a  portal  to  the  dawn  of  a  grander,  richer,  more  glorious 
existence,  and  that  when  the  final  summons  comes  to  each 
of  them  in  turn  he  may  be  sure  that  his  loving  comrades 
who  have  gone  before  will  meet  him  with  outstretched 
spirit  hands  to  clasp  again  the  hand  of  him  they  loved  on 
earth  and  bid  him  welcome  as  he  touches  the  unknown 
shore.  And  so  believing,  I  say  in  all  hope  and  in  all 
reverence  to  my  companion  in  arms  and  friend,  good-by, 
good-by,  until  we  meet  again. 


[16] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  MANN,  OF  ILLINOIS 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  During  my  18  years  of  service  in  this 
House  Alabama  has  had  an  exceedingly  strong  represen- 
tation both  upon  this  floor  and  upon  the  floor  of  the 
Senate.  I  shall  not  recount  the  names  of  the  distinguished 
gentlemen  who  have  represented  that  State  here  and  in 
the  Senate,  but  I  am  very  sure  that  during  that  period  of 
time  no  other  State  has  had  a  stronger  representation  than 
the  State  of  Alabama,  and  I  doubt  very  much  whether  any 
other  State  on  the  average  has  had  the  same  degree  of 
capacity  in  its  membership  in  the  two  bodies  as  the  State 
of  Alabama,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  think  the  strength 
of  the  representation  of  the  State  in  the  two  bodies  will 
continue.  We  are  about  to  send  from  this  House  to  the 
other  body  one  of  the  strongest  men  who  has  ever  sat  in 
either  body,  and  I  believe  the  system  which  they  have 
in  that  State  of  returning  many  of  their  strong  men  has 
been  a  great  benefit  to  the  country,  and  among  the  men 
who  have  been  sent  by  that  State  there  has  been  no  other 
one  who  had  a  gentler  soul,  a  sweeter  disposition,  and  a 
more  pleasing  companionship  than  Mr.  RICHARDSON.  I 
had  the  honor  of  serving  with  him  for  many  years  on  the 
Committee  on  Interstate  and  Foreign  Commerce  during 
a  time  when  that  committee  had  charge  of  many  im- 
portant matters  of  legislation.  The  Revenue-Cutter 
Service  was  reorganized;  the  Public  Health  Service  was 
reorganized;  the  Lighthouse  Service  was  reorganized; 
the  Life-Saving  Service  was  greatly  extended;  the  De- 
partment of  Commerce  and  Labor  was  created;  the 
Rureau  of  Corporations  was  organized;  the  powers  of 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  were  made  ade- 

[17] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

quate;  the  Panama  Canal  was  provided  for  and  largely 
constructed,  and  in  all  of  these  matters  Mr.  RICHARDSON 
had  very  great  prominence.  He  was  in  the  minority  dur- 
ing that  time,  but  in  that  great  committee  partisan  con- 
siderations do  not  have  very  much  influence,  and  the 
advice  and  help  of  Mr.  RICHARDSON  were  constantly  sought 
and  always  freely  given. 

His  disposition  was  of  such  a  character  that  all  who 
knew  him  loved  him,  and  those  who  came  most  closely 
in  contact  with  him  loved  him  most.  He  and  I  served 
on  several  conference  committees  where  the  difficulties 
were  many,  and  it  was  through  his  influence  and  help  that 
many  of  the  good  things  in  the  legislation  which  came 
from  our  committee  were  enacted  into  law. 

When  he  died  I  was  a  member  of  the  committee  ap- 
pointed by  this  body  to  attend  the  funeral  exercises.  It  is 
the  only  time  I  have  left  the  House  on  an  occasion  of  that 
character.  It  was  a  source  of  pride  to  me  to  be  there  when 
the  final  obsequies  were  enacted.  I  myself  do  not  look 
with  dread  upon  death.  Mr.  RICHARDSON  had  lived  a  long 
and  useful  life.  He  was  entitled  to  leave  us  and  go  to  the 
other  world  and  be  at  rest.  And  at  these  funeral  exer- 
cises one  of  the  most  affecting  scenes  which  I  have  ever 
witnessed  occurred.  At  practically  the  close  the  ex- 
Confederate  veterans,  who  were  there  to  pay  their  tribute 
to  their  comrade,  formed  in  line  and  marched  around 
the  burial  plot — old  men  who  had  served  as  comrades  of 
Mr.  RICHARDSON  in  the  great  struggle.  And  among  these 
men  was  a  Senator  of  the  United  States,  Senator  Thornton, 
of  Louisiana,  a  member  of  the  Senate  committee,  and 
bringing  up  the  rear  of  the  procession,  as  one  of  the  men 
who  had  taken,  at  least,  a  humble  part,  was  an  old  colored 
man — a  procession  of  old  men  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
war,  composed  of  those  who  loved  him,  and  paying  their 
last  tribute  to  him,  from  a  distinguished  Senator  of  the 


[18] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  MANN,  OF  ILLINOIS 


United  States  to  a  humble  colored  laborer.  All  who  knew 
him  loved  him,  whether  of  high  or  low  degree.  And  there 
can  be  no  more  pleasant  recollection  for  those  who  remain 
behind  than  to  know  that  the  one  who  has  departed  has 
been  revered,  respected,  and  loved  by  all. 


[19] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  ADAM  SON,  OF  GEORGIA 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  speak  of  Senator 
Johnston,  although  I  knew  him  well  and  loved  him  well, 
personally  and  officially,  for  10  or  15  years,  and  greatly 
admired  his  character  and  great  ability.  I  was  more 
intimately  associated,  however,  with  Judge  RICHARDSON, 
of  whom  I  wish  to  speak. 

Mr.  Speaker,  although  Judge  RICHARDSON  was  illustrious 
in  the  State  of  Alabama  and  to  a  large  extent  known 
throughout  the  Union  before  he  came  to  Congress,  I  had 
never  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  his  personal  acquaintance 
until  he  succeeded  the  late  lamented  Gen.  Wheeler  in 
Congress  as  the  Representative  of  the  eighth  district  of 
Alabama.  During  that  term  I  became  acquainted  with 
him  and  was  glad  when  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  term 
he  became  associated  with  me  on  the  great  Committee  on 
Interstate  and  Foreign  Commerce  of  the  House. 

His  industry,  his  great  talents,  and  wide  learning,  with 
his  discriminating  legal  mind,  admirably  fitted  him  for 
usefulness  on  that  committee.  From  the  beginning  he 
took  a  leading  part  in  its  deliberations,  grappling  with 
masterful  familiarity  the  manifold  and  multifarious  ques- 
tions involving  every  phase,  condition,  and  instrumen- 
tality of  interstate  and  foreign  commerce.  It  was  his  lot 
to  participate  in  some  of  the  most  important  legislation 
that  has  marked  the  development  of  this  great  country  in 
the  last  half  century,  in  all  of  which  he  did  his  part  and 
did  it  well,  like  a  man,  a  lawyer,  a  patriot,  and  a  states- 
man. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Sixty-second  Congress,  when 
the  Democrats  organized  the  House,  Judge  RICHARDSON 
was  made  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  but 

[20] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  ADAMSON,  OF  GEORGIA 


continued  his  membership  on  the  Committee  on  Inter- 
state and  Foreign  Commerce  until  the  end  of  that  Con- 
gress, when  a  rule  was  adopted  limiting  eligibility  to 
membership  on  one  of  the  large  committees.  Thereupon, 
much  to  the  regret  of  all  the  members  of  our  committee, 
he  gave  up  his  place  with  us  and  continued  as  chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Pensions  until  his  death. 

As  one  of  the  committee  designated  by  the  Speaker  to 
attend  the  funeral  of  Judge  RICHARDSON  I  was  much 
gratified  to  find  our  estimate  of  Judge  RICHARDSON  shared 
by  the  people  of  his  home  town  and  district,  who  mani- 
fested their  affection  for  him  and  their  grief  over  his  loss 
by  assembling  in  thousands  to  pay  a  last  tribute  of  respect 
and  affection  by  casting  a  flower  and  a  tear  on  his  grave. 

He  was  a  good  man,  a  good  lawyer,  a  good  friend,  an 
industrious  student.  He  loved  his  country,  and  possessed 
all  the  elements  to  make  a  great  Congressman.  May  it  be 
the  good  fortune  of  this  Republic  to  find  many  others  like 
him  to  steer  the  ship  of  state  through  perilous  storms  and 
breakers  to  a  haven  of  peace,  prosperity,  and  glory,  and 
perpetuate  forever  the  greatest  Republic  ever  known  to 
man. 

Not  only  in  the  piping  times  of  peace  did  Judge  RICH- 
ARDSON exhibit  his  exalted  character,  exemplifying  a 
splendid  manhood  and  capacity  to  grapple  with  the  great 
questions  of  life,  but  he  had  illustrated  the  valor  of  a 
warrior  and  patriot  on  the  tented  field.  He  followed  the 
ill-fated  but  glorious  flag  of  the  Confederacy  through  four 
years  of  hardship  and  valor,  under  the  leadership  of  the 
greatest  military  heroes  who  ever  led  marshaled  armies 
to  glory.  He  was  several  times  wounded,  and  when  he 
had  suffered  and  fought  through  the  unsuccessful  conflict, 
the  cause  in  which  he  gloried  having  gone  down  before 
overwhelming  numbers  and  unlimited  resources,  he  laid 
down  his  sword  in  that  good  faith  which  characterized 
his  compatriots  throughout  the  South  and  veritably  ended 

[21] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

the  war  at  Appomattox,  although  some  people  on  the 
other  side,  more  familiar  with  fighting  battles  with  ink 
and  execrations  than  with  sword  and  bullets,  failed  to 
recognize  the  end  of  the  war. 

Having  failed  in  their  efforts  to  secede  and  preserve 
and  reestablish  the  ideal  government  originally  planned 
by  the  framers  of  the  Union  itself,  he  and  the  other  leaders 
and  heroes  of  the  South  immediately  renewed  their 
allegiance  to  the  Union;  and  from  1865  to  the  day  of  his 
death  he  labored  with  unabated  energy,  patriotism,  and 
devotion,  with  ability  and  zeal  rarely  equaled,  to  promote 
the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  State  of  Alabama  and 
the  greatness  and  glory  of  the  Republic  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 


[22] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HAYES,  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  During  our  service  together  in  this  House 
I  came  to  know  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  of  Alabama, 
well.  He  was  one  of  the  squarest,  ablest,  kindliest,  and 
sweetest  men  I  ever  knew.  In  his  young  manhood  he  had 
played  his  part  in  the  titanic  struggle  between  the  States. 
The  marks  of  two  wounds,  which  he  bore  in  his  body, 
were  mute  evidence  of  the  fidelity,  zeal,  and  courage  with 
which  he  served  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy.  Some  of 
the  unusual  trials  and  sufferings  which  he  endured  dur- 
ing his  four  years  of  service  in  the  army  have  been  re- 
counted here  to-day.  A  nature  less  noble  and  lovable 
than  his  would  have  been  embittered  by  these  terrible 
experiences.  But  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  was  incapable  of 
harboring  hatred  or  bitterness  or  revenge.  When  the 
cause  for  which  he  had  fought  was  lost,  he  adjusted 
himself  to  the  new  conditions  and  did  his  part  in  work- 
ing out  the  great  problems  of  his  country.  How  well  he 
performed  his  part  after  he  came  to  this  House  most  of  us 
who  are  here  can  testify.  He  was  incapable  of  sectional 
prejudice,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  had 
an  eye  single  to  the  welfare  of  the  people  of  every  section 
of  his  country.  He  was  modest  almost  to  a  fault,  but 
always  faithful  to  every  duty,  which  he  discharged  with 
signal  ability. 

It  is  a  splendid  tribute  to  the  judgment  and  discrimina- 
tion of  his  constituency  that  they  were  loyal  to  him  to  the 
end,  and  returned  him  to  this  House  term  after  term  with- 
out serious  opposition.  He  fully  merited  their  confidence. 
It  is  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege  to  render  this  public  tribute 
to  his  beautiful,  lovable,  and  noble  character,  and  make 
this  feeble  acknowledgment  of  the  value  to  this  House 
and  to  his  country  of  his  public  services. 

[23] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

It  should  be  a  source  of  great  pride  and  satisfaction  to 
his  friends  and  dear  ones  that  without  respect  to  party 
and  without  exception  his  colleagues  who  have  served 
with  him  in  this  great  historic  body  will  always  remem- 
ber him,  not  only  with  respect  for  his  unsullied  character 
and  admiration  for  his  abilities,  but  with  the  tenderest 
feeling  of  affection  for  him  as  a  man  and  a  friend. 

None  knew  him  but  to  love  him, 
None  named  him  but  to  praise. 


[24] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  AUSTIN,  OF  TENNESSEE 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  In  the  death  of  our  late  colleague,  Judge 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  the  State  of  Alabama  lost  one  of  its 
best  and  most  faithful  public  servants;  the  Nation  an  able 
and  patriotic  defender;  the  men  who  served  in  the  Mexi- 
can War,  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies,  and  in  the 
Spanish-American  War  a  true  and  tried  friend;  and  this 
House  a  beloved  and  honored  Member. 

I  knew  Judge  RICHARDSON  from  my  early  boyhood  days, 
being  natives  of  adjoining  counties  in  Alabama,  and  while 
he  and  my  father  were  not  of  the  same  politics  and  on 
opposite  sides  during  the  Civil  War,  they  were  lifelong 
friends.  The  district  which  Judge  RICHARDSON  served  with 
signal  honor  and  ability  for  14  years  borders  on  the  south- 
ern boundary  line  of  Tennessee,  no  great  distance  from 
the  district  which  has  favored  me  with  a  seat  in  this  body. 

Many  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  northern  Alabama  or 
the  Tennessee  Valley  came  from  eastern  Tennessee,  and 
were  of  the  brave,  strong,  and  industrious  Scotch-Irish 
stock.  The  great  Tennessee  River  flows  through  the  two 
districts,  uniting  our  sections  by  one  of  nature's  great 
agencies  of  commerce  and  development.  There  are  many 
common  ties  between  our  people,  and  in  the  passing  of 
Judge  RICHARDSON  I  lost  not  only  a  true  friend  but  my 
constituents  one  who  was  ever  ready  to  cooperate  with 
their  Representative  in  promoting  and  advancing  the 
interests  of  east  Tennessee. 

A  short  time  after  my  election  to  Congress  in  1908, 
Judge  RICHARDSON,  with  a  strong  delegation,  visited  my 
district,  attending  the  Tennessee  River  Improvement  As- 
sociation at  Harriman,  Tenn.  He  made  a  most  favorable 
impression  on  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  and  I 

[25] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

gratefully  remember  the  kind  and  generous  reference  he 
made  to  me  in  his  speech  on  that  occasion,  and  his  kind 
assurance  that  he  would  aid  me  in  every  possible  way 
when  I  reached  Washington  City  and  entered  upon  my 
official  duties.  Like  all  of  his  promises,  it  was  faithfully 
kept. 

His  career  in  Congress  was  but  a  repetition  of  the 
course  he  had  followed  as  a  Confederate  soldier,  as  a 
practicing  attorney,  as  a  State  lawmaker,  as  a  judge — one 
of  conscientious  devotion  to  duty.  He  was  an  untiring 
worker,  an  unselfish  patriot,  and  an  incorruptible  states- 
man; an  honorable,  manly,  brave  man,  and  generous  to 
a  fault.  The  possession  of  these  qualities  is  the  explana- 
tion of  his  lasting  hold  upon  the  hearts  and  affections 
of  the  splendid  people  of  the  eighth  district  of  Alabama. 
The  Republican  leader  of  this  House,  Mr.  Mann,  of  Illinois, 
has  just  mentioned  a  great  number  of  important,  far- 
reaching  constructive  pieces  of  national  legislation  our 
late  colleague  aided  in  preparing  and  passing,  and  for 
which  this  and  future  generations  will  owe  a  debt  as  long 
as  the  Republic  lives.  Of  the  countless  thousands  who 
joined  the  Confederacy  and  fought  under  the  Stars  and 
Bars,  Judge  RICHARDSON  was  one  of  the  very  first  to  forget 
and  forgive,  and  I  am  sure  was  proud  and  happy  that  we 
were  once  more  a  prosperous,  reunited,  and  happy 
people.  He  not  only  lived  to  see  this,  but  was  a  strong 
factor  in  aiding  and  bringing  it  about. 

In  this  connection  I  could  not  possibly  present  a  higher, 
grander  tribute  to  this  man  of  kind,  generous,  and 
chivalrous  deeds  than  to  close  my  imperfect  tribute  by 
quoting  a  speech  which  he  delivered  in  this  House  on 
January  21,  1901,  when  the  bill  was  under  consideration 
to  establish  a  national  soldiers'  home  near  Johnson  City, 
Tenn. — a  noble,  patriotic,  speech,  for  which  the  people  of 
eastern  Tennessee  will  revere,  honor,  and  love  his  memory 
for  all  time. 

[26] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  AUSTIN,  OF  TENNESSEE 

Judge  RICHARDSON  said : 

"  Mr.  SPEAKER  :  I  am  grateful  to  the  distinguished  chair- 
man of  the  Military  Committee  [Mr.  Hull]  for  the  courtesy 
extended  me.  As  an  ex-Confederate  soldier,  I  am  glad  to 
have  this  opportunity  of  bearing  testimony  in  this  public 
manner  of  my  high  regard,  esteem,  and  respect  for  the 
Federal  soldiers.  It  is  true  that  the  district  in  Alabama 
that  I  have  the  honor  to  represent  lies  but  a  short  distance 
from  where  this  home  is  to  be  established,  and,  not  only 
speaking  for  myself,  but  for  all  classes  of  my  people,  I 
say,  without  hesitancy,  that  we  welcome  the  establishment 
of  homes  in  the  South  for  disabled  Federal  soldiers.  Since 
the  close  of  our  great  Civil  War  I  have  been  a  sincere 
and  earnest  advocate  of  fair,  just,  and  liberal  pensions, 
as  well  as  national  homes  for  the  disabled  Union  soldiers. 
It  gives  me  pleasure  to  support  a  bill  of  this  kind  appro- 
priating $250,000,  and  even  if  you  should  make  the  amount 
$350,000,  I  would  cheerfully  do  likewise. 

"  I  believe,  Mr.  Speaker,  that  this  is  the  way — yea,  the 
best  way — to  reconcile  whatever  troubles  or  heartburn- 
ings there  may  have  been  in  the  South,  and  especially 
in  the  locality  where  it  is  proposed  to  establish  this  home. 
There  has  never  been  any  trouble,  Mr.  Speaker,  between 
the  Federal  soldier  and  the  Confederate.  The  history  of 
the  world  has  never  presented  a  parallel  to  the  welding 
of  the  lives  and  friendships  that  has  taken  place  in  the 
last  30  years  between  Federal  and  Confederate  soldiers. 
The  effect  of  these  friendly  associations  between  brave 
men  who  had  met  each  other  on  bloody  fields  of  battle  is 
bearing  fruit  as  our  numbers  daily  are  passing  away. 
When  His  Excellency  the  President  of  the  United  States 
[Mr.  McKinley]  made  his  tour,  some  two  years  since, 
through  the  South  and  said  the  time  would  soon  come 
when  the  Government  would  take  care  of  the  graves  of 
the  Confederate  soldiers,  this  sentiment  was  greeted  and 
welcomed  by  millions  of  brave  and  true  men  in  the  South. 

[27] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

We  knew  that  the  President  was  sincere.  He  spoke  it 
not  only  as  President,  but  as  a  brave  soldier.  I  sincerely 
believe,  Mr.  Speaker,  that  the  location  of  this  home  in  east 
Tennessee,  and  steps  of  this  kind  which  are  being  in- 
augurated and  approved,  will  yet  lead  to  the  consum- 
mation of  the  desire  which  exists  in  the  conservative  mind 
of  the  North  and  the  South  to  see  a  home  built  which  will 
admit  both  Federal  and  Confederate  disabled  soldiers. 
Such  a  home,  of  course,  should  be  under  the  rule  and 
government  of  the  Federal  homes  law. 

"  I  would  welcome  that  time.  One  of  the  first  bills,  Mr. 
Speaker,  introduced  by  me  in  this  House  was  to  establish 
a  home  of  that  kind  in  the  vicinity  of  the  beautiful  city  of 
Huntsville,  Ala.,  the  most  attractive  section  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Valley.  Such  a  measure,  Mr.  Speaker,  will  do  more 
to  allay  the  passions  and  prejudices  produced  by  the  war 
than  anything  else  that  we  can  do.  The  soldiers  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Confederate  soldier, 
Republicans  and  Democrats,  among  our  people,  all  speak 
out  for  such  a  home.  I  am  glad  that  this  home  proposed 
by  the  bill  under  consideration  will  be  established  in  that 
beautiful  and  historic  section  of  east  Tennessee.  And 
for  myself  let  me  say,  as  an  ex-Confederate  soldier, 
treasuring  the  memories,  as  I  reverently  do,  that  are  dear 
to  my  heart  in  connection  with  that  wonderful  struggle, 
honoring  the  brave  men  who  fought  on  the  other  side,  it 
gives  me  an  amount  of  pleasure  that  I  can  not  express 
in  the  few  minutes  allowed  me  to-day  to  cast  my  vote 
for  this  bill.  [Loud  and  long  applause.]" 


[28] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BURNETT,  OF  ALABAMA 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  Judge  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  was  a  native 
of  Limestone  County,  Ala.  He,  like  Senators  Morgan, 
Pettus,  and  Johnston,  was  an  actor  in  the  most  terrific 
drama  that  was  ever  played  on  the  American  stage. 

In  war  and  in  peace  he  knew  no  standard  but  honor 
and  no  watchword  but  duty.  He  came  of  a  long  line  of 
splendid  southern  ancestors,  and  every  heart  throb  and 
pulse  beat  was  for  his  people  and  his  native  State. 

When  a  young  man  the  call  to  arms  was  sounded,  and 
young  RICHARDSON  unsheathed  his  sword  and  never  re- 
turned it  to  its  scabbard  until  the  history  of  the  end  of  the 
Confederacy  had  been  written  in  blood  and  glory. 

He  was  severely  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Chickamauga 
and  carried  with  him  to  his  death  the  effects  of  that  awful 
wound.  What  he  suffered  from  that  shot  no  one  but  God 
and  he  knew,  as  he  never  paraded  his  troubles  before  his 
friends. 

He  was  captured  during  the  war  and,  as  I  now  recollect 
the  story,  was  condemned  to  be  shot  as  a  spy.  He  was 
in  his  cell  with  a  comrade  one  night  awaiting  the  execu- 
tion of  the  death  sentence,  which  was  to  be  carried  out 
next  morning  at  sunrise,  when  he  heard  the  clattering  of 
hoofs  outside,  and  he  said  to  his  comrade,  **  That's  For- 
rest's men."  Sure  enough  it  was.  That  wizard  of  the 
saddle  had  heard  of  the  sad  plight  of  these  two  Con- 
federates, and  he  made  a  raid  on  the  town  where  they 
were  incarcerated  and  released  them. 

When  the  titanic  struggle  was  ended  Judge  RICHARDSON 
returned  to  a  wrecked  and  ruined  country.  A  few  of  his 
friends  joined  with  those  who  conspired  to  complete  the 
financial  ruin  of  our  State,  and  then  young  RICHARDSON 

[29] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

again  threw  himself  into  the  breach  and  helped  to  drive 
out  those  who  would  fatten  on  a  prostrate  foe. 

With  the  eye  of  an  eagle,  he  was  ever  watchful  of  the 
interests  of  Alabama ;  with  the  courage  of  a  lion,  he  never 
quailed  before  her  oppressors;  with  the  heart  of  a 
maiden,  his  sympathies  were  ever  with  the  distressed;  and 
the  night  was  never  too  dark  nor  the  day  too  cold  for  him 
to  go  the  length  of  his  cable  tow  to  aid  a  struggling 
brother. 

His  home  was  in  Huntsville,  one  of  the  most  cultured 
cities  of  the  South.  Among  lawyers  he  always  stood  at 
the  head  of  the  list;  among  statesmen  he  always  stood 
the  peer  of  any.  In  civic  life  and  in  devotion  to  home 
and  friends  he  had  no  superior. 

Before  we  had  emerged  from  the  dark  days  of  recon- 
struction he  was  elected  by  the  people  of  his  county  as 
judge  of  the  probate  and  county  courts  of  Madison  County, 
and  held  that  honored  position  until  1886.  He  was  elected 
to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  the  gallant  Joe  Wheeler  in 
the  Fifty-sixth  Congress,  and  had  an  honorable  career 
in  this  body  until  God  called  him.  Much  of  the  most  im- 
portant legislation  of  the  time  he  was  here  bears  the  in- 
fluence of  his  mind.  His  work  for  Muscle  Shoals  and  the 
Tennessee  River  was  ardent  and  indefatigable.  If  the 
scheme  for  water-power  development  and  the  opening  of 
that  great  stream  is  ever  consummated,  the  people  of  the 
Tennessee  Valley  ought  to  erect  a  monument  to  the  name 
of  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON. 

In  his  early  married  life  he  lost  his  wife,  and  with  four 
beautiful  little  daughters  and  a  baby  boy  he  started  life 
anew,  with  a  sad  and  dreary  heart. 

His  devotion  to  the  memory  of  that  companion  and 
his  love  for  his  little  ones  restrained  him  from  ever  mar- 
rying again.  He  reared  his  daughters  himself,  in  his  own 
home,  and  his  devotion  to  them  was  perfectly  beautiful. 


[30] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BURNETT,  OF  ALABAMA 


On  account  of  the  proximity  of  our  districts  and  the  fact 
that  we  lived  at  the  same  hotel  in  Washington  much  of 
the  time  that  he  was  in  Congress  I  perhaps  enjoyed  more 
intimate  relations  with  him  than  any  other  Member  of  the 
delegation. 

We  came  into  the  Fifty-sixth  Congress  at  nearly  the 
same  time.  As  he  filled  out  an  unexpired  term  he  entered 
a  few  months  later  than  I  did.  During  our  long  and 
intimate  acquaintance  I  always  found  him  every  inch  a 
man.  Devoted  to  his  family,  loyal  to  his  district  and  his 
people,  true  to  his  friends,  true  to  himself,  devoted  to  the 
memory  of  the  lost  cause,  his  like  will  not  always  be 
found. 

His  memory  will  long  be  kept  green  by  those  who  loved 
and  honored  him. 

Earth  was  poorer  and  heaven  was  richer  when  this 
noble  friend  was  called  to  God. 


4095°— 15 3  [31] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  SIMS,  OF  TENNESSEE 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  It  was  my  good  fortune  when  I  was  only 
about  15  or  16  years  of  age  to  live  in  Waterloo,  Ala.,  in  a 
county  in  the  congressional  district  which  our  departed 
friend,  Judge  RICHARDSON,  represented.  The  district  which 
he  represented  was  the  eighth  district  of  Alabama,  and 
the  one  that  I  have  the  honor  to  represent  is  the  eighth  dis- 
trict of  Tennessee,  and  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  each 
is  the  eighth  district  in  our  respective  States  they  are 
contiguous.  One  of  the  counties  of  my  district  borders 
on  one  of  the  counties  of  that  district,  and  from  earliest 
childhood  I  have  known  more  Alabamians  than  people 
from  any  other  State  in  the  Union,  and  nearly  all  of  them 
came  from  the  eighth  district  of  that  State.  Consequently, 
having  lived  in  Alabama,  and  having  associated  with  her 
people  intimately,  although  I  never  knew  Judge  RICHARD- 
SON while  I  lived  in  Alabama  or  before  I  came  to  this 
body,  I  felt  an  interest  in  him,  which  was  brought  about 
largely  by  the  conditions  I  have  just  described. 

In  addition  to  that  he  had  two  brothers  living  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  prosperous  business  men,  and  men  who 
always  took  a  lively  and  active  interest  in  the  political, 
moral,  and  general  welfare  of  our  State.  I  knew  both  of 
those  gentlemen  before  I  met  Judge  RICHARDSON,  and  they 
were  no  ordinary  men.  Consequently,  Judge  RICHARDSON 
seemed  to  me  very  much  as  a  Tennesseean.  When  he 
entered  this  body,  being  the  successor  of  the  distinguished 
Confederate  general,  Joseph  Wheeler,  and  having  been  a 
Confederate  soldier  himself,  all  these  things  added  to  the 
interest  I  already  felt  in  him.  From  the  time  I  first  knew 
Judge  RICHARDSON  to  the  last  time  I  ever  joined  him  in 
service  in  this  House  and  in  service  upon  the  Interstate 

[32] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  SIMS,  OF  TENNESSEE 


and  Foreign  Commerce  Committee,  of  which  we  were 
members  for  two  terms  prior  to  his  death,  nothing  ever 
occurred  that  did  not  add  to  the  good  feeling  and  high 
opinion  which  I  had  of  him.  And  every  act  of  his  life 
after  my  acquaintanceship  with  him  was  such  as  to  make 
one  feel  more  kindly  toward  him  until  it  grew  into  real 
affection. 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  when  he  would  try 
to  discharge  his  public  duties,  and  when  it  was  evident 
to  everyone  he  was  not  able  to  do  so,  I  often  asked  him 
not  to  go  to  the  committee  meetings,  because  he  did  not 
look  strong  enough,  and  told  him  that  we  would  do  the 
work  for  him,  but  he  was  always  insistent,  and  went  to 
his  labors  when  he  ought  not  to  have  done  so.  The  former 
distinguished  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Interstate 
and  Foreign  Commerce,  the  gentleman  from  Illinois,  Mr. 
Mann,  and  also  the  present  distinguished  chairman,  the 
gentleman  from  Georgia,  Mr.  Adamson,  have  paid 
tribute  to  his  efficient  and  hard  work  upon  that  com- 
mittee. He  was  absolutely  independent  in  thought,  and 
in  the  many  hearings  that  occurred  before  that  committee, 
when  he  and  I  were  members,  we  would  often  differ,  and 
sharply  differ,  as  to  certain  propositions  and  theories  and 
as  to  what  ought  or  ought  not  to  be  in  the  proposed  legis- 
lation, but  always  with  a  courtesy  and  dignity  on  his  part 
that  left  no  stings,  but  made  you  think  all  the  more  of  the 
man  and  admire  all  the  more  his  courage  to  thus  so 
sharply  differ  with  men  who  loved  him  and  whom  he 
in  turn  loved.  On  the  floor  of  this  House  I  have  some- 
times, but  not  often,  differed  with  him  as  to  what  was 
good  legislation  and  beneficial  to  our  country  and  as  to 
what  was  bad  as  we  saw  it,  but  I  always  knew  that  he  was 
just  as  sincere  and  honest  in  his  views  upon  the  questions 
which  were  then  being  discussed  as  I  claimed  to  be 
myself.  And  although  an  older  man,  he  was  easy  to 
become  acquainted  with,  and  the  longer  you  knew  him 

[33] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

the  more  he  grew  upon  you,  until  it  became  a  positive 
pleasure  to  me  to  associate  with  him  not  only  in  the  duties 
that  were  common  to  us  but  in  every  way  that  men  and 
friends  can  be  associated. 

As  such  associate  and  companion  in  legislative  labors 
I  feel  that  I  have  sustained  a  great  loss,  and  such  no  doubt 
is  the  feeling  of  all  who  were  so  closely  associated  with 
him  as  to  know  his  true  value  as  a  Member  of  this  House. 
He  was  one  of  those  men  that  was  so  impressive  in  his 
genial  yet  strong  personality  that  he  will  always  remain 
firmly  fixed  in  the  minds  of  all  who  were  so  fortunate  as 
to  have  known  him  intimately.  Any  constituency  in  any 
State  could  well  be  proud  of  so  able  and  so  good  a  Repre- 
sentative in  this  body,  and  if  the  able  gentleman  who  has 
been  chosen  to  represent  the  good  people  of  the  eighth 
district  of  Alabama  serves  his  constituents  as  well,  as  ably, 
and  as  faithfully  as  did  Judge  RICHARDSON,  I  predict  for 
him  a  long  term  of  distinguished  service  in  this  body. 


.[34] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HEFLIN,  OF  ALABAMA 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  It  has  long  been  the  custom  of  both 
branches  of  Congress  to  hold  memorial  services  in  honor 
of  the  men  who  died  while  serving  their  country  as  Mem- 
bers of  Congress.  It  is  a  splendid  custom,  and  I  com- 
mend its  observance  to  all  those  who  are  to  come  after 
us.  It  is  fitting  that  the  deceased  Member's  colleagues 
should  have  the  privilege  of  recounting  his  deeds  and 
commending  his  virtues,  and,  Mr.  Speaker,  we  are  here 
to-day  to  pay  to  the  memory  of  a  once  brave  and  able 
Member  of  Congress  the  tribute  of  our  respect  and  esteem. 

It  is  comforting  to  the  brave  soldier  to  know  that  if  he 
dies  in  battle  far  away  from  home  and  loved  ones  that 
some  of  his  comrades  will  tell  the  story  of  his  valor  and 
heroism,  and,  Mr.  Speaker,  it  is  comforting  to  a  Member 
of  Congress  to  know  that  when  he  has  answered  his  last 
roll  call  and  gone  from  the  forum  of  congressional  debate 
that  his  colleagues  will  say  something  of  his  work  here 
and  speak  of  his  service  to  his  country. 

Mr.  Speaker,  the  service  here  is  often  strenuous,  always 
exacting,  and  trying  at  times  on  both  the  ability  and 
moral  stamina  of  the  Member.  It  is  ours  to  promote  the 
general  welfare — to  benefit  the  country  by  our  service 
and  to  guard  the  Constitution  so  that  we  may  bequeath 
to  posterity,  unhampered  and  unimpaired,  the  priceless 
heritage  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  Here  we  have  to  do 
with  the  great  problems  that  affect  the  destiny  of  our 
country  and  the  welfare  of  the  human  race,  for,  as  Jeffer- 
son has  said,  "  One  single  good  government  is  a  blessing 
to  mankind."  Here  men  have  given  the  best  years  of 
their  lives  striving  earnestly  to  be  of  value  to  their  day 
and  generation,  and  here  they  have  rendered  noble  serv- 
ice to  their  country. 

[35] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

The  man  whose  memory  we  honor  to-day  was  an  able 
and  faithful  public  servant.  He  was  a  splendid  repre- 
sentative of  the  South  "  when  knighthood  was  in  flower." 
Judge  RICHARDSON,  when  but  a  beardless  youth,  entered 
the  Confederate  Army,  and  no  braver  soldier  ever  donned 
a  uniform  or  drew  a  battle  blade.  Believing  that  the 
State  had  the  right  to  secede,  that  sovereignty  resided 
with  the  State,  and  that  to  the  State  allegiance  was  due, 
he  endured  the  hardships  and  privations  of  the  Con- 
federate soldier,  and  participated  in  a  struggle  where  the 
mingled  blood  of  brothers,  North  and  South,  cemented 
the  sections  in  the  bonds  of  an  everlasting  union. 

He  accepted  in  good  faith  the  arbitrament  of  the  sword, 
and  this  faithful  follower  of  the  Stars  and  Bars  became 
the  devoted  defender  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  here 
in  the  Hall  of  the  National  Congress  he  counseled  with 
men  of  the  Union  Army  and  together  they  worked  for 
the  good  of  the  Republic. 

He  was  a  loyal  friend,  an  able  and  faithful  represent- 
ative of  his  people,  and  a  splendid  type  of  the  American 
citizen. 


[36] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  DENT,  OF  ALABAMA 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  It  is  always  painful  to  contemplate  death, 
but  as  death  is  inevitable  it  is  meet  and  proper  that  those 
of  us  who  linger  behind  should  by  some  appropriate 
ceremony  pay  our  respects  to  the  memory  of  the  friends 
and  associates  who  have  preceded  us  to  the  grave.  It  is 
more  than  difficult,  Mr.  Speaker,  to  do  justice  to  .such  an 
occasion,  but  it  is  a  privilege  which  the  living  have  to 
make  the  attempt.  Nothing  that  we  can  say  here  will  add 
either  to  the  name  or  to  the  fame  of  those  whose  spirits 
have  winged  their  flight  to  the  unknown  realm  above, 
but  we  can  at  least  recall  their  virtues  so  that  those  who 
come  after  them  may  profit  thereby. 

It  is  in  this  spirit  that  I  shall  attempt  briefly  to  speak 
of  the  life  and  character  of  the  late  Judge  WILLIAM  RICH- 
ARDSON. Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  considerably  more 
than  a  score  of  years  separated  our  lives,  I  know  that 
there  was  a  bond  of  friendship  between  us.  Upon  practi- 
cally all  political  questions  Judge  RICHARDSON  and  I  were 
in  entire  accord,  and  our  personal  relations  were  of  the 
most  friendly  character.  I  recall  distinctly  my  first  intro- 
duction to  Judge  RICHARDSON.  It  was  when  he  was  a 
candidate  for  the  Democratic  nomination  for  governor 
of  the  State  of  Alabama.  I  recall  his  appearance  and  his 
manner.  I  well  remember  the  dignified  black  suit  and  the 
immaculate  white  shirt — a  style  of  dress  that  he  was  wont 
to  wear  unto  the  day  of  his  death.  I  well  recall  also  his 
pleasing  conversation  and  his  most  cordial  manner.  It 
was  years  afterwards,  however,  that  we  met  as  colleagues 
in  this  body.  It  was  then  that  I  came  to  know  Judge 
RICHARDSON,  and  knowing  him,  to  honor,  to  respect,  to 
admire,  aye,  to  love  him.  Judge  RICHARDSON  was  a  modest 

[37] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

and  a  courageous  gentleman.  He  possessed  that  kind  of 
courage  which  is  always  associated  with  modesty — the 
finest  type  of  courage  to  be  found  among  men.  Judge 
RICHARDSON  was  a  patriot,  if  by  patriotism  we  mean  a 
fearless,  intelligent,  and  conscientious  devotion  to  what 
one  believes  to  be  to  the  best  interest  of  his  country.  His 
record  as  a  Confederate  soldier,  as  a  private  citizen,  as  a 
Member  for  many  years  of  this  body,  speaks  for  itself, 
and  is  above  reproach.  His  remarkable  career  in  the 
Confederate  Army  he  never  capitalized  politically,  and 
even  in  private  conversation  with  his  closest  friends  he 
was  diffident  in  speaking  of  it. 

Judge  RICHARDSON  belonged  to  the  old,  chivalrous  school 
of  southern  gentlemen — men  who  were  neither  boisterous 
nor  ostentatious,  as  is  often  pictured  by  inimical  critics  of 
the  South,  but  men  who  fearlessly  discharge  their  duty, 
let  the  consequences  be  what  they  may.  He  was  kept  in 
Congress  by  a  fond  constituency  until  claimed  by  death. 
Among  others,  I  attended  the  funeral  in  his  home  city 
of  Huntsville,  where  his  remains  were  interred.  I  saw 
gathered  there,  from  all  the  ranks  of  life  and  from  all 
over  the  Tennessee  Valley,  a  great  concourse  of  people  to 
pay  tribute  to  his  memory.  I  saw  gray-haired,  wrinkled, 
and  decrepit  Confederate  veterans,  when  his  coffin  was 
lowered  in  the  grave,  march  solemnly  around  it  and  drop 
in  it  a  sprig  of  green.  I  saw  delicate,  refined,  and  sym- 
pathetic women  cover  the  new-made  grave  with  all  the 
varieties  of  flowers  that  spring  puts  forth  in  that  sunny 
clime,  and  when  I  turned  away  with  head  uncovered  and 
eyes  moistened  with  tears,  I  said,  "  Surely,  as  I  firmly 
believe,  if  there  be  a  kingdom  of  the  righteous,  the  soul 
and  the  spirit  of  Judge  RICHARDSON  is  now  resting  in 
peace." 


[38] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BYRNS,  OF  TENNESSEE 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  When  I  entered  the  Sixty-first  Congress, 
among  the  first,  if  not  the  very  first  of  those  who  had  seen 
prior  service  in  Congress,  to  greet  and  cordially  welcome 
me  as  a  colleague  was  the  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  of 
Alabama.  From  that  time  until  his  death  he  was  my  good 
friend,  and  I  profited  greatly  from  his  helpful  advice  and 
suggestions.  The  particular  interest  that  he  took  in  me 
from  the  outset  was  no  doubt  largely  influenced  by  the 
fact  that  in  my  home  city  there  lived  two  brothers  and  a 
sister  who  were  among  its  most  influential  and  prominent 
citizens,  and  who  had  commended  me  to  him.  So  deep 
was  my  appreciation  of  his  generous  friendship  and  his 
kindly  and  helpful  advice,  so  great  my  admiration  for 
his  many  noble  qualities  as  a  man  and  as  a  distinguished 
Member  of  this  body,  that  I  could  not  let  this  opportunity 
pass  without  paying  a  brief,  though  necessarily  inade- 
quate, tribute  to  his  memory.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to 
speak  of  the  life  of  Judge  RICHARDSON,  or  to  refer  par- 
ticularly to  the  great  service  which  he  rendered  to  his 
State  and  the  Nation.  I  will  leave  that  to  others  who 
served  for  a  longer  time  with  him  in  Congress.  We  have 
just  listened  to  an  excellent  address  by  his  successor  in 
Congress  and  his  lifelong  and  intimate  friend,  Hon.  C.  C. 
Harris,  who  has  pictured  to  us  the  high  sense  of  duty 
which  prompted  every  act  of  Judge  RICHARDSON  through 
all  the  years  of  his  life. 

Indeed,  Mr.  Speaker,  this  high  sense  of  honor  and  duty 
was  the  guidepost  which  directed  him  at  every  turn  in 
the  pathway  of  his  life.  It  governed  and  sustained  him, 
when,  as  a  mere  boy  during  the  Civil  War,  he  was  cap- 
tured at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  and  ordered  to  be  executed 

[39] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

within  a  few  hours,  being  saved  from  such  a  fate  only  by 
the  timely  and  unexpected  arrival  of  that  wizard  of  the 
saddle,  Gen.  Bedford  Forrest.  His  neighbors  will  tell  you 
that  this  same  high  principle  controlled  him  during  all  the 
subsequent  years  of  his  life  while  he  lived  among  them 
as  an  honored  friend  and  neighbor.  It  was  surely  so, 
Mr.  Speaker,  after  he  became  a  Member  of  this  House, 
where,  as  one  of  its  most  useful,  faithful,  and  influential 
Members,  he  devoted  so  many  years  of  his  life  in  splendid 
service  to  his  State  and  the  Nation.  It  was  particularly 
so  during  the  last  few  months  of  his  life,  when  dread 
disease  had  taken  hold  of  him  and  death  was  haunting 
his  footsteps.  Feeble  though  he  was,  he  insisted  on  attend- 
ing the  sessions  of  the  House  and  giving  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  needs  and  wishes  of  those  whom  he  directly 
represented.  To  a  man  of  his  high  ideals  I  am  quite  sure 
it  must  have  been  a  consolation  that  he  was  permitted  to 
pay  the  debt  which  we  must  all  ultimately  pay  while 
actively  engaged  in  the  service  of  his  country,  leaving 
behind  him  as  a  heritage  to  his  family  not  only  a  high  and 
honorable  name,  but  also  an  enviable  record  of  earnest 
and  faithful  devotion  to  duty.  And,  Mr.  Speaker,  what 
better  fate  could  befall  any  man?  We  all  must  face 
death  at  some  time,  and  I  know  of  no  better  end  than 
that  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  our  distinguished  colleague 
and  friend.  He  died  after  a  long  life  of  usefulness,  rich 
in  honors  and  richer  in  the  love  and  affection  of  all  who 
knew  him. 

Mr.  Speaker,  I  have  never  feared  death  very  much. 
Sooner  or  later  it  must  come  to  us  all.  For  the  same  rea- 
son I  do  not  believe  that  the  majority  of  mankind  actually 
fear  death.  We  dread  it  rather  because  of  the  uncertainty 
and  the  fear  that  the  record  of  our  lives  may  not  be  such 
as  to  entitle  us  to  receive  the  reward  of  another  and  an 
infinitely  more  happy  life.  But  there  can  be  no  such  fear 
as  to  our  deceased  colleague.  He  was  called  upon  to 

[40] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BYRNS,  OF  TENNESSEE 


perform  much  service  in  this  life,  and  it  can  be  truthfully 
said  that  he  was  faithful  to  every  trust,  whether  great  or 
small,  and  we  have  the  promise  of  the  Divine  Master  that 
such  a  man  shall  be  ruler  over  many  things  in  the  great 
beyond. 

Mr.  Speaker,  I  know  of  no  man  who  more  truly  lived 
up  to  the  injunction  of  the  poet: 

So  live  that  when  thy  summons  comes  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  which  moves 
To  that  mysterious  realm  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 
Thou  go  not,  like  the  quarry  slave  at  night, 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon,  but  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  that  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams. 


[411 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  ABERCROMBIE,  OF  ALABAMA 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  This  is  a  solemn  hour,  and  it  furnishes 
occasion  for  serious  reflection. 

Once  more  we  have  been  reminded  of  the  verity  of 
the  biblical  decree,  "  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to 
die."  From  that  divine  edict  there  is  no  escape. 

Death  is  the  final  and  common  conqueror.  With  im- 
perial and  impartial  tread  it  enters  the  gilded  palace  and 
the  lowly  hovel.  Its  awful  presence  stills  the  tongue  of 
criticism,  silences  the  voice  of  anger,  restrains  the  pen 
of  censure,  softens  the  heart  of  hatred,  and  turns  our 
thoughts  toward  those  things  the  contemplation  of  which 
elevates  the  mind,  quickens  the  conscience,  and  purifies 
the  soul. 

How  strange  it  is  that  we  think  seriously  of  death  only 
when  confronted  by  death! 

In  the  death  of  our  friend  and  colleague,  Representa- 
tive WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  his  district  lost  a  brilliant  and 
faithful  servant,  the  State  of  Alabama  a  loyal  and  dis- 
tinguished son,  the  United  States  a  devoted  and  useful 
officer,  the  cause  of  liberty  a  prudent  and  zealous  cham- 
pion. Throughout  a  long  and  active  life,  given  chiefly 
to  the  public  service,  he  was  ever  a  shining  example  of 
loyalty  to  purpose,  of  devotion  to  country,  and  of  faithful- 
ness to  duty. 

He  died  in  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  on  the  31st  day  of 
March,  1914,  at  the  age  of  74  years  10  months  and  23  days. 
His  birthplace  was  Athens,  Ala.,  and  the  date  of  his  birth 
was  the  8th  day  of  May,  1839.  His  health  had  been  failing 
for  some  time,  and  his  death  was  not  unexpected  by  his 
family  and  friends. 


[42] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  ABERCROMBIE,  OF  ALABAMA 

As  was  true  generally  of  the  youth  of  that  time  in  that 
new  country,  his  opportunities  for  the  acquisition  of  an 
education  were  limited;  but,  availing  himself  industri- 
ously of  the  means  within  his  reach,  after  attending 
school  in  his  home  town,  then  a  mere  village,  he  entered 
and  in  due  season  graduated  with  highest  honors  from 
the  Wesleyan  University  at  Florence,  Ala.,  an  institution 
now  long  nonexistent.  The  colleges  and  universities  of 
that  time  in  all  parts  of  the  country  were  far  below  those 
of  to-day  in  both  admission  and  graduation  requirements. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  higher  institutions  of  that  day  were 
not  superior,  if,  indeed,  they  were  equal  to  the  secondary 
schools  of  the  present. 

The  wonder  is  that  so  many  who  came  up  under  the 
conditions  of  that  period  were  able  to  overcome  ap- 
parently insurmountable  obstacles  and  acquire  the  educa- 
tion necessary  for  success  and  distinction  in  all  the  fields 
of  human  endeavor.  Representative  RICHARDSON  belonged 
to  that  class  of  men  who  succeed  regardless  of  untoward 
conditions.  He  possessed  the  rare  powers  of  concentra- 
tion and  application,  and  these  combined  with  a  strong 
intellect  enabled  him  to  acquire  much  knowledge.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  learning. 

Not  long  after  leaving  college  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Army  of  the  Confederacy,  in  which  he  served  with 
great  prowess  from  1861  to  1865.  He  was  wounded 
three  times,  once  desperately,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain  on  account  of  conspicuous  gallantry  on 
the  field  of  battle.  A  unique  and  harrowing  experience 
was  his  during  that  sanguinary  conflict.  While  traveling 
unknowingly  with  a  spy  he  was  arrested  by  Federal 
soldiers,  and,  with  the  spy,  condemned  to  be  executed  at 
sunrise  on  the  following  day.  Only  a  timely  rescue  by 
Gen.  Nathan  Bedford  Forrest  saved  his  life.  In  the  per- 
formance of  duty  danger  had  no  terror  for  him.  He  was 
among  the  bravest  of  the  brave. 

[43] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

When  the  war  ended  he  returned  to  his  home  and 
studied  law,  which  was  his  profession  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  and  in  which  he  won  signal  success.  Having 
served  a  term  in  the  Legislature  of  Alabama  he  removed 
to  Huntsville,  which  was  his  home  thereafter.  He  was 
for  many  years  judge  of  probate,  and  his  friends  still 
boast  that  his  record  was  the  best  ever  made  in  that 
office. 

He  was  a  candidate  for  the  gubernatorial  nomination 
of  his  party  in  1890  and  was  defeated  by  only  a  small 
number  of  votes.  Four  years  later  he  served  as  delegate 
at  large  to  the  Democratic  national  convention.  On  the 
3d  day  of  July,  1900,  following  the  resignation  during 
the  Fifty-sixth  Congress  of  Gen.  Joseph  Wheeler,  who 
for  many  years  had  represented  that  district,  the  eighth 
Alabama,  he  was  nominated  unanimously  by  his  party 
for  both  the  unexpired  and  the  succeeding  term  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  he  served  continuously 
thereafter  until  the  date  of  his  death  in  the  Sixty-third 
Congress. 

His  health  began  to  fail  about  two  years  ago,  prior  to 
which  time  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  House  and  participated  in  many  of  the  debates, 
always  with  credit  to  himself.  He  served  on  some  of  the 
most  important  committees  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Pensions.  In  his 
capacity  as  a  Member  of  Congress  he  had  to  do  directly 
with  those  who  to  him  had  been  both  foe  and  victor  in 
time  of  war,  and  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  service 
here  he  had  their  confidence  and  esteem.  In  no  other 
Government  than  this  glorious  Republic  could  a  thing 
like  that  have  happened.  It  shows  how  completely  the 
animosities  of  the  great  war  have  passed  away. 

In  this  connection  I  am  reminded  of  a  bill  passed  dur- 
ing this  Congress  in  furtherance  of  the  feeling  of  amity 

[44] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  ABERCROMBIE,  OF  ALABAMA 

to  which  I  have  referred.  How  appropriate  and  how 
beautiful  it  was  for  a  Representative  from  Pennsylvania 
[Mr.  Graham]  to  introduce,  and  by  unanimous  vote  in 
both  House  and  Senate,  to  secure  the  passage  of  a  bill 
having  for  its  object  the  complete  obliteration  of  sectional 
prejudice  so  far  as  that  can  be  done  by  law.  I  refer  to 
the  act  repealing  the  statute  requiring  proof  of  loyalty  to 
the  Union  of  those  who  seek  reimbursement  for  damages 
sustained  during  the  Civil  War.  The  speech  made  by 
Mr.  Graham  when  that  bill  was  under  consideration  in 
the  House  was  one  of  the  most  eloquent  and  patriotic  that 
was  ever  delivered  in  Congress  or  elsewhere.  I  wish  it 
could  have  been  heard  by  every  citizen  of  this  great 
country. 

As  a  public  speaker  Representative  RICHARDSON  dis- 
played oratorical  ability  of  a  high  order.  In  debate  he 
was  ready,  poised,  argumentative,  and  fair,  and  on  all  oc- 
casions was  lucid,  instructive,  eloquent,  and  convincing. 
As  an  orator  he  was  in  demand  throughout  Alabama, 
especially  on  patriotic  occasions,  and  he  never  failed  to 
measure  up  to  the  expectations  of  his  audience. 

But,  Mr.  Speaker,  in  view  of  what  others  have  said,  it 
is  unnecessary  for  me  to  dwell  longer  upon  the  details 
of  the  remarkable  career  of  our  late  friend  and  colleague. 
From  the  date  of  his  entrance  into  the  combat  of  life  his 
record  was  one  of  achievement,  and  in  its  every  stage 
discloses  a  brilliant  mind,  a  determined  will,  a  cultivated 
conscience,  and  a  generous  soul,  all  of  which  go  to  con- 
stitute a  well-rounded  character,  and  are  absolutely  es- 
sential for  real  success.  A  born  leader  of  men,  he  was 
ever  accorded  preferment  by  his  fellows.  His  career 
illustrates  the  power  of  a  combination  of  intelligence, 
character,  and  application,  and  will  stand  as  a  perennial 
inspiration  to  the  youth  of  the  land. 


[45] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

A  good  and  great  man  was  lost  to  the  world  when 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  died.  True  to  himself,  true  to  his 
country,  true  to  his  God,  he  abides  with  Him — 

Who  shines  in  the  sun,  refreshes  in  the  breeze, 
Glows  in  the  stars  and  blossoms  in  the  trees, 
Lives  through  all  life,  extends  through  all  extent, 
Spreads  undivided  and  operates  unspent. 


[46] 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  UNDERWOOD,  OF  ALABAMA 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  My  affection  and  respect  for  the  person 
and  character  of  our  friend  and  colleague  WILLIAM 
RICHARDSON  will  not  permit  me  to  indulge  in  mere  words 
of  praise.  He  was  my  friend  and  comrade  for  many 
years.  I  knew  and  loved  him  for  his  charming  person- 
ality, his  high  character,  and  his  eminent  abilities.  He 
early  realized  the  responsibilities  of  life  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  between  the  States,  and  with  courage  he  met  every 
responsibility  from  that  hour  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
Tried  in  many  and  important  public  and  private  stations, 
he  was  faithful  in  all.  Courteous  and  kindly  in  manner, 
he  was  determined  and  persistent  in  purpose  and  action. 
Tolerant  and  conservative  always,  he  had  fixed  principles 
to  guide  his  course  through  life  and  positive  convictions 
that  he  maintained  on  all  public  questions.  He  thought 
clearly  and  always  expressed  himself  forcefully.  He  was 
a  hard  worker,  a  diligent  seeker  after  the  truth.  Pos- 
sessed of  rare  good  judgment  and  great  common  sense, 
he  was  a  safe  counselor.  He  made  friends  through  life 
because  people  believed  in  him  and  trusted  him.  He 
carried  conviction  with  what  he  said  because  he  himself 
was  convinced  before  he  acted.  He  was  a  leader  of  men 
because  his  leadership  was  marked  by  courage  and 
honesty  of  purpose.  He  was  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him  because  he  deserved  it.  He  loved  his  country  and 
was  a  true  American,  but  he  was  primarily  a  son  of  the 
Southland,  bound  in  heart  and  memory  to  the  history  and 
traditions,  the  honesty  and  good  repute  of  the  old  South. 
He  honored  his  native  State  of  Alabama,  and  Alabama 
honored  him  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Great  as  is  the 
history  of  Alabama  and  her  many  distinguished  sons, 

4095°— 15 4  [47] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES  :  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

there  never  trod  on  Alabama  soil  a  more  knightly  gentle- 
man than  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  and  there  sleeps  not 
beneath  Alabama's  sod  a  more  loyal,  gentle,  and  brave 
son  than  her  late  Representative. 

Then,  in  accordance  with  the  resolution  heretofore 
adopted  (at  2  o'clock  and  22  minutes  p.  m.),  the  House 
adjourned  until  to-morrow,  Monday,  February  1,  1915,  at 
12  o'clock  noon. 


[48] 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  SENATE 

WEDNESDAY,  April 1, 
A  message  from  the  House  of  Representatives,  by  J.  C. 
South,  its  Chief  Clerk,  communicated  to  the  Senate  the 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON, 
late  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  Alabama,  and 
transmitted  resolutions  of  the  House  thereon. 

The  Presiding  Officer  (Mr.  Lea  of  Tennessee)  laid 
before  the  Senate  the  following  resolutions  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  which  were  read : 

IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 

March  31,  19U. 

Resolved,  That  the  House  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  of 
the  death  of  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  a  Representative  from 
the  State  of  Alabama. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  20  Members  of  the  House,  with 
such  Members  of  the  Senate  as  may  be  joined,  be  appointed  to 
attend  the  funeral. 

Resolved,  That  the  Sergeant  at  Arms  of  the  House  be  authorized 
and  directed  to  take  such  steps  as  may  be  necessary  for  carrying 
out  the  provisions  of  these  resolutions,  and  that  the  necessary  ex- 
pense in  connection  therewith  be  paid  out  of  the  contingent  fund 
of  the  House. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the 
Senate  and  transmit  a  copy  thereof  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Mr.  OVERMAN.  Mr.  President,  I  offer  the  resolutions 
which  I  send  to  the  desk,  and  ask  that  they  may  be  read. 

The  resolutions  were  read,  considered  by  unanimous 
consent,  and  unanimously  agreed  to,  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  the 
announcement  of  the  death  of  the  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  late 
a  Representative  from  the  State  of  Alabama. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  six  Senators  be  appointed  by  the 
Presiding  Officer,  to  join  the  committee  appointed  on  the  part  of 

[49] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

the  House  of  Representatives,  to  attend  the  funeral  of  the  deceased 
Representative. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  communicate  these  resolutions  to 
the  House  of  Representatives  and  transmit  a  copy  thereof  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased. 

The  Presiding  Officer  appointed  under  the  second  reso- 
lution as  the  committee  on  the  part  of  the  Senate  Mr. 
Bankhead,  Mr.  Thornton,  Mr.  Robinson,  Mr.  Gronna,  Mr. 
Poindexter,  and  Mr.  Crawford. 

Mr.  OVERMAN.  Mr.  President,  I  move  as  a  further  mark 
of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased  .Representative 
that  the  Senate  take  a  recess  until  to-morrow  at  11  o'clock 
and  50  minutes  a.  m. 

The  motion  was  unanimously  agreed  to,  and  (at  4 
o'clock  and  40  minutes  p.  m.)  the  Senate  took  a  recess 
until  to-morrow,  Thursday,  April  2,  1914,  at  11  o'clock 
and  50  minutes  a.  m. 

TUESDAY,  February  2,  1915. 

A  message  from  the  House  of  Representatives,  by  J.  C. 
South,  its  Chief  Clerk,  announced  that  the  House  trans- 
mitted to  the  Senate  resolutions  of  the  House  on  the  life 
and  public  services  of  Hon.  Joseph  F.  Johnston,  late  a 
Senator  from  the  State  of  Alabama,  and  also  on  the  life 
and  public  services  of  Hon.  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  late  a 
Representative  from  the  State  of  Alabama. 


[50] 


TRIBUTES 


BY  THE   COMMITTEE   ON   PENSIONS 

[Resolutions  adopted  by  the  Committee  on  Pensions  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  Apr.  17,  1914.] 

Whereas  by  Divine  Providence  our  colleague  WILLIAM 
RICHARDSON,  a  man  greatly  beloved,  entered  into  the 
rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God  on  March  31, 
1914: 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  members  of  the  Committee  on 
Pensions  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  of  which  com- 
mittee he  was  chairman  for  three  years,  record  our  affec- 
tion for  this  gentle  and  considerate  public  servant. 

For  almost  half  a  century  he  was  engaged  in  affairs  of 
national  interest. 

As  a  soldier  of  the  Confederacy  he  bore  with  him  to 
the  grave  the  wounds  received  while  battling  for  the 
cause  he  had  espoused.  He  was  one  of  the  survivors  of 
that  great  conflict  who  lived  to  see  a  country  reunited. 

For  15  years  the  people  of  Alabama  selected  him  to 
represent  them  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  where 
he  unselfishly  gave  his  strength,  his  wisdom,  and  his 
heart  to  the  interests  of  his  constituents. 

Whether  upon  the  field  of  battle  or  in  the  Halls  of 
Congress  he  was  always  a  courageous  fighter,  and  for  his 
fairness  his  opponents  loved  him. 

Thus  as  a  soldier  and  a  statesman  he  became  schooled 
in  his  early  years  as  a  man  of  affairs.  This  accounts  for 
his  wonderful  breadth  of  view  and  splendid  judgment  in 
dealing  with  the  perplexing  problems  of  state. 

[51] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

Resolved,  That  we  extend  our  sympathy  to  the  bereaved 
family,  not  in  a  formal  way,  but  with  heartfelt  sincerity. 
Their  grief  is  ours.  Under  his  guidance  we  were  wisely 
advised.  We  deem  it  a  privilege  to  bear  witness  to  his 
work  and  worth.  The  inspiration  of  his  life  will  linger 
long  in  our  hearts.  We  are  thankful  that  his  lot  was  cast 
with  ours  through  so  many  eventful  years. 

It  is  our  prayer  that  God  will  abundantly  bless  and  care 
for  the  family  he  so  dearly  loved. 

Ah,  God,  for  a  man  with  heart,  head,  hands, 
Like  some  of  the  simple  great  ones  gone 

Forever  and  ever  by; 
One  still  strong  man  in  a  blatant  land, 

Whatever  they  call  him,  what  care  I? 
Aristocrat,  autocrat,  democrat — one 
Who  can  rule,  and  dare  not  lie. 

EDWARD  KEATING, 
S.  KIRKPATRICK, 
WILLIAM  H.  MURRAY, 
SAM  R.  SELLS, 
FRANK  L.  GREENE, 
Subcommittee  of  the  Committee  on  Pensions, 

House  of  Representatives. 

BY   THE    GOVERNOR   OF   ALABAMA 

[Proclamation   issued   by   the   governor   of  Alabama,   the    Hon. 
Emmet  O'Neal,  at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  Apr.  1,  1914.] 

It  becomes  my  painful  duty  to  make  official  announce- 
ment to  the  people  of  Alabama  of  the  death  of  Hon. 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  a  Member  of  Congress  from  the 
eighth  congressional  district,  which  occurred  at  Atlantic 
City  on  Tuesday,  March  31. 

Judge  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  has  long  been  one  of  the 
most  commanding  figures  in  the  political  life  of  the  State, 
an  eminent  lawyer,  a  profound  student  of  economic  and 

[52] 


TRIBUTES 

governmental  questions,  with  all  that  polish,  culture, 
grace,  and  charm  of  manner  typical  of  the  old  South. 

He  never  surrendered  his  honest  convictions  to  the 
demands  of  selfish  expediency  of  time-serving  opportu- 
nity, and  in  every  great  political  contest,  from  the  era  of 
reconstruction  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  his  leadership  was 
acknowledged  and  his  great  abilities  recognized. 

Since  1898  he  has  represented  his  district  in  Congress, 
and  no  Member  of  that  body  ever  more  completely  won 
or  deserved  the  respect,  the  confidence,  and  affection  of 
his  constituents. 

He  was  ever  alert  to  the  interests  of  his  people,  ever  at 
the  post  of  duty,  and  he  consecrated  to  their  services  his 
great  abilities  and  easily  won  distinction  as  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  influential  and  useful  Members  that 
ever  represented  the  State  in  the  Halls  of  Congress. 

Alabama  has  been  fortunate  in  the  long  array  of  dis- 
tinguished names  that  have  been  written  on  the  rolls  of 
Congress,  yet  in  all  that  long  list  no  name  will  shine 
brighter  with  purer  ray  serene  than  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON, 
of  Alabama. 

BRAVE    CONFEDERATE    SOLDIER. 

A  brave  Confederate  soldier,  a  splendid  type  of  that 
great  civilization  "  which  commenced  with  Washington 
and  ended  with  Lee,"  Alabama  never  had  a  son  more 
loyal  or  devoted  to  her  interests,  or  one  whose  name  is 
more  entitled  to  illustrate  the  brightest  pages  of  her 
history. 

In  evidence  therefore  of  the  State's  appreciation  of  his 
long  and  distinguished  career,  I,  Emmet  O'Neal,  governor 
of  the  State  of  Alabama,  do  issue  this  proclamation,  and 
order  the  State's  flag  to  be  placed  at  half  mast  on  the 
Capitol  and  the  building  to  be  draped  in  mourning.  I 
further  direct  that  on  the  day  of  the  funeral  all  offices  in 
the  Capitol  building  be  closed  in  respect  to  his  memory. 

[53] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

BY  THE  HUNTSVILLE  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS 

[Resolutions  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  City 
of  Huntsville,  Ala.,  Apr.  2,  1914.] 

Whereas  Judge  RICHARDSON,  Congressman  from  the  eighth 
congressional  district  of  Alabama,  departed  this  life  on 
March  31 ;  and 

Whereas  the  funeral  services  of  this  beloved  statesman 
will  take  place  in  the  city  of  Huntsville,  Ala.,  on  Friday, 
April  3,  at  2  o'clock  p.  m. :  Now,  therefore,  be  it 
Resolved  by  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  City  of 
Huntsville,  Ala.,  That  as  an  evidence  of  the  esteem  in 
which  this  man  was  held  and  out  of  respect  to  his  mem- 
ory all  business  houses  in  the  city  of  Huntsville  are  re- 
quested to  be  closed  during  the  time  of  said  funeral,  viz, 
on  Friday,  April  3,  from  the  hours  of  2  o'clock  until  4 
o'clock  p.  m. 

R.    L.    O'NEAL, 

J.  D.  HUMPHREY, 
M.  H.  LANIER, 

Commissioners. 

BY  THE   HUNTSVILLE   BAR   ASSOCIATION 

[Resolutions    adopted   by    the   Huntsville    Bar   Association    Apr. 

2,  1914.] 

Whereas  death  has  taken  from  the  active  walks  of  life, 
after  a  long  and  distinguished  career  in  public  life, 
our  beloved  fellow  citizen,  neighbor,  and  friend,  Hon. 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  who  for  many  years  was  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  Huntsville  bar,  and  justly  recognized 
as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  eloquent  advocates  in  Ala- 
bama, for  12  years  judge  of  probate  of  Madison  County, 
and  perhaps  the  best  in  the  State,  and  for  the  past  15 
years  the  able  Representative  of  this  the  eighth  con- 
gressional district  in  the  lower  House  of  Congress,  and 
always  and  at  all  times  the  public-spirited,  liberal, 

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TRIBUTES 

honest,    and   progressive   citizen,   the   true    and   loyal 

friend,  the  devoted  husband,  loving  and  affectionate 

father:  Therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we,  his  neighbors,  friends,  and  brother 
lawyers,  bow  in  recognition,  but  with  sad  and  sorrowful 
hearts  to  this  dispensation  of  the  all-wise  and  inscrutable 
Providence;  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  the  Chair  appoint  a  committee  of  three 
for  the  respective  courts  of  record  in  Madison  County  and 
the  United  States  court  to  present  to  said  court  these  reso- 
lutions and  request  that  the  same  be  spread  upon  the 
minutes  of  the  same;  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  resolutions  be  furnished 
the  press  for  publication,  and  also  the  family  of  Judge 

RICHARDSON. 

R.  E.  SPRAGINS,  Chairman, 

BEN  P.  HUNT, 
R.  E.  SMITH, 

Committee. 

BY  THE  HUNTSVILLE    (ALA.)    MERCURY-BANNER. 
[Editorial  in  the  Huntsville  Mercury-Banner  of  Apr.  2,  1914.] 

Huntsville  has  upon  her  roll  of  honor  the  names  of 
many  eminent  sons,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  death  of  any 
one  was  ever  more  generally  regretted  and  the  sorrow  of 
our  loss  more  deeply  and  keenly  felt  than  in  the  death  of 
WILLIAM  RICHARDSON.  The  public  is  familiar  with  his 
long  official  career  characterized  by  eminent  ability, 
capable  efficiency,  and  the  most  loyal  fidelity  to  every 
trust.  He  was  a  man  of  unquestioned  courage,  mental, 
moral,  and  physical.  Perhaps  the  dominating  element 
of  the  man  was  his  strong,  native  common  sense,  which 
gave  him  almost  unerring  judgment.  He  was  a  positive 
character.  In  all  of  his  many  political  and  legal  battles 
he  asked  no  quarter  and  gave  none. 

.[55] 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES:  REPRESENTATIVE  RICHARDSON 

But  it  was  in  the  close  ties  of  intimate  friendship  and 
the  sweet  relations  of  the  home  where  the  tender,  gentle, 
affectionate,  and  patient  nature  of  this  strong  man  showed 
themselves  in  all  their  charm,  strength,  and  beauty.  He 
was  a  most  attractive,  interesting,  and  lovable  man  in 
these  relations  and  we  speak  as  one  who  thus  knew  him 
for  long  years,  both  in  his  joys  and  in  his  greatest  sorrows. 
He  was  a  most  obliging  neighbor,  a  friend  loyal  and 
true,  and  as  a  husband  and  father  he  displayed  the  best 
of  his  great  nature.  As  a  citizen  he  lived  on  a  high  plane, 
and  in  the  31  years  we  knew  him  he  never  failed  to  re- 
spond to  any  call  for  the  betterment  and  uplift  of  his 
home  city  and  county.  In  this  respect  his  life  record 
could  well  be  emulated  by  our  every  citizen.  As  a  public 
official  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  he  approximated 
the  ideal.  He  was  judge  of  probate  of  Madison  County 
when  we  first  knew  him,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say 
he  was  the  best  the  county  ever  had.  He  took  great  pride 
in  beautifying  and  caring  for  the  court  square.  And  in 
no  relation  of  life  did  his  fine  nature  shine  out  more 
nobly  than  in  his  watchful,  faithful  attention  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  widows  and  orphans  when  their  interests 
became  intrusted  to  his  care  in  the  probate  court. 

He  has  won  and  richly  deserves  every  respect  and 
honor  his  people  can  pay  his  memory,  and  in  this  last 
tribute  they  do  honor  themselves.  Peace  to  his  ashes. 

BY  HON.  EDWARD  B.  ALMON,  OF  TUSCUMBIA,  ALA. 
[From  the  Huntsville  (Ala.)  Mercury-Banner  of  Apr.  2,  1914.] 

Judge  Edward  B.  Almon,  candidate  for  Congress,  out  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Judge  WILLIAM  RICH- 
ARDSON, has  canceled  his  speaking  engagement  at  the  Elks' 
Theater  here  to-night  and  also  his  appointments  on  the 
day  of  the  funeral. 

[56] 


TRIBUTES 

Speaking  of  Judge  RICHARDSON,  Judge  Almon  said : 
"  No  man  more  sincerely  mourns  the  death  of  Judge 
RICHARDSON  than  I  do.  He  was  perhaps  the  most  useful 
man  in  the  eighth  congressional  district,  and,  until  his 
health  failed  a  year  ago  or  more,  the  man  most  active 
in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section. 

"  I  knew  him  as  a  man  and  as  a  great  and  useful  public 
servant,  and  shall  always  honor  his  memory.  The  State 
and  the  Nation  have,  in  his  death,  sustained  a  great  loss." 


[57] 


